An Unavodiable Collision of Two Forces
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Jeff and Annie are trapped together during a ice storm. Sequal to 'This Sort of Thong Happens in Sitcoms, Not in Real Life'. Will eventually be rated M
1. Chapter 1

::Good evening Greendale. I'm Liz Gretchen with your five p.m. evening news weather forecast. It seems, as was predicted last night, that cold front from the north has moved over Greendale to mix with the heavy precipitation that started this morning. While right now we just have to worry about tropical level rainfall, with the temperature dropping that precipitation will turn into freezing rain, most likely around seven tonight. It is heavily advised that you stay indoors tonight for your own safety as the freezing rain warning will remain in effect until tomorrow morning, making driving particularly treacherous. There is the possibility of large scare blackouts due to the likelihood of frozen power lines and downed trees. Power officials are advising that if your power does go out, not to call until tomorrow morning unless it is an emergency.::

Jeff muted the volume on the television, not that surprised by what he heard. For the past few days all everyone had been talking about was the possibility of an ice storm coming. While it sucked that it was arriving on the first day of winter break, he knew it would have been worse if it had come during finals and disturbed them. (If he had to retake another class like he had with Biology, he would have been royally pissed.)

Originally the group was supposed to meet at Annie, Troy and Abed's place to kick off winter break with a _Parks and Recreation_ marathon. But Shirley had gone into hyper worried mom mode and convinced the boys to cancel the marathon, followed by calling everyone and telling them to stay inside for the night. Normally Jeff would have put up an argument, but Shirley's voice got really scary and he couldn't help but promise her he'd stay inside and not risk his life going to a bar to pick up floozies (her words, not his).

As he got up and looked out the window Jeff wasn't really regretting his decision. It was already pouring about as badly as the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park. If it kept up like this and turned into freezing rain it would be a real hazard out there. So he was fine with staying inside where he was safe and warm.

He went around gathering some candles in case the power did go out when he heard a frantic knocking at the door (the super really had to get his buzzer fixed). Jeff looked through the peephole and quickly opened the door, completely shocked as to who was at the door.

"Annie?"

"H-h hi J-J-Jeff," Annie stuttered out as she stood dripping in the hallway. It would have been an understatement to say she was merely wet. She looked like she had just jumped into a pool. Jeff moved out of the way as she walked in, tightly gripping her sopping wet book bag as her teeth chattered from the cold. "I-I-I was o-o-o u-u t a-n-n-n-d-."

"Annie, you're dripping everywhere." Before she could protest Jeff pushed her shivering form towards his bathroom. "Take a shower so you can warm up and not freeze to death. I'll put your clothes in the dryer and get you something to wear in the meantime."

"Okay," she managed to get out. Jeff shoved her (backpack and all) into his bathroom and switched the heat light on before closing the door and getting a plastic grocery bag for her clothes. He came back to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Um, are you descent?"

"Yeah!"

Jeff opened the door, seeing that she had so far just taken off her jacket and cardigan. Her dripping wet shirt was clinging to her, making her breasts and curves stand out even more than they normally would. Jeff desperately tried not to openly stare as he handed her the grocery bag. "Put your stuff in here and I'll put them in the dryer." With that he turned right around.

"Jeff."

Jeff ground his teeth in frustration and internally groaned before turning back around. "Yeah?"

"Where's your soap and shampoo?"

"It's under the sink. Hold on a sec." Jeff went over and opened the cabinet door, revealing his toiletry safe. He moved his body to block her view of it as he turned the combination and opened the safe, pulling out some items before locking it back up. "Here's soap, shampoo, a hair brush and my hair dryer, and towels are in the other drawer. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I'm good," she said in a small voice.

"I'll be right outside. When you're ready just hand me your bag of clothes." Before she could say anything else Jeff quickly walked out and closed the bathroom door before leaning against the wall. After a few minutes the door opened a crack and a small hand slipped through the space holding a bag of wet clothes. Without a word Jeff took the clothes before Annie pulled her arm back in and closed the bathroom door.

As Jeff went down to the basement and put her clothes in one of the dryers he wondered how this visit was going to go. Over the last two months, things hadn't been going great between them. While she wasn't ignoring or avoiding him per say, he knew she had become more distant with him then she'd been in the past. She wasn't on his case anymore when he tried to avoid doing stuff, and she didn't give him those special secret smiles she used to reserve only for him. He used to wish she would just leave him alone. But now that she had, he found he missed the way she used to act around him.

When he got back upstairs Jeff went to his bedroom and started searching for something Annie could wear while her clothes dried. Finding her a shirt was no problem. Even if it was huge on her it wouldn't make that much of a difference. But finding her bottoms that fit, that was a different story. Unless he had suspenders (which he certainly didn't), anything he gave her she would have to hold up with her hands to keep from falling down. Finally he found a pair of pajama pants with a draw string waist. Even if the legs would be _way_ too long, at least they'd (presumably) fit around her waist.

He took the pile of clothes and went to the bathroom. The shower was turned off and he could hear the hair dryer going. "Annie! Can I come in?"

"Yeah!"

Jeff opened the door and was hit was a thick blast of steam. He waved his free arm until he was able to see Annie. She was standing by the sink wearing nothing but a towel, holding a textbook as she dried it with the blow dryer. He tried to ignore how much skin was showing, and how hot she looked with damp hair, as he put the clothes on the toilet seat. "Here. Wear these until your stuff dries." He quickly left before she could say anything.

Jeff went back to the couch and unmuted the TV. After about twenty minutes he heard the bathroom door open, followed by Annie walking into the living room wearing the clothes he gave her. The shirt was almost down to her knees, and she had rolled the pant legs up several times so she wouldn't trip over them. She ran his hair brush through her still damp hair as she sat down at the opposite end of the couch. "Thanks for the clothes and everything Jeff."

"I'm sure it'd be frowned upon if I let you freeze to death. I am curious why you came here sopping wet in the first place."

Annie sighed deeply as she set the brush down on the coffee table. "I went to get some flashlights in case we lose power." She paused as she groaned in anger. "Troy and Abed were using the ones we had for a lightsaber fight and broke them."

"That sounds about right."

"So I went out to get some more before the ice storm hit. But on my way my car broke down a couple blocks from here. And when I tried calling them for help I couldn't get a signal."

"Yeah, this area is weirdly selective with cell service. This building is fine, but I know the ones next to here have terrible reception."

"So since I was close by I figured I could use your phone to call Troy and Abed. But then I got soaked coming over here and…" She faded out as Jeff already knew the rest. "I guess I'll call them to pick me up and I'll get my clothes another day."

Jeff glanced out of the window. The rain looked like it was in between being water and ice. By the time the guys came and got Annie they would be driving back on icy roads. "Annie, the rain is already becoming ice out there. I don't think anyone should be out there driving now."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Just stay here?" she said sarcastically. She giggled at the notion, but stopped when she saw the look Jeff gave her. "Wait, you're serious?"

"It's not exactly ideal. But I don't want you or anyone risking their life when you're already safe indoors."

She let out a huff at the 'ideal' remark before thinking about his offer. Right now she was safe here and the guys were safe at their place. If she left or had them come get her they would at best have to navigate in this downpour. But more likely they would get caught in the ice storm. And she would never forgive herself if something happened to them because of her.

"All right. Can I borrow your phone so I can call Troy and Abed? Mine got ruined from the rain."

Without a word he handed her his phone, continuing to channel surf as Annie got up and went away a few feet to make her call. After a couple minutes she came back and gave Jeff his phone back as she resumed her spot on the couch. "So what's the status with the boys?"

"Troy was shocked that you let me use stuff from your toiletry safe, and then said we should start taking in wayward animals if it gets really bad outside. Abed just said that this situation could lead to a development in both of our characters."

"Troy's been spending too much time with Britta. The last time I took in a wayward animal Chang ended up sleeping on my couch," Jeff said, completely ignoring Abed's remark. He cringed at the memory of his time living with Chang as he continued to flip through channels.

"Jeff, just pick something already."

"My TV, my rules." He glanced at her through the corner of his eye, seeing the annoyed look on her face. She continued to look at the channels flip by without looking at him, and she wasn't Disney Eyeing him or overtly trying to guilt him, and yet he still felt bad about it. "Here, knock yourself out," he said as he handed her the remote before focusing on his phone.

She gave him a brief look of surprise before she flipped around before settling on _The King of Queens _on TBS. While she watched the antics on the television she thought about this strange turn of events. She hadn't been back here since she had seen Jeff naked almost two months ago. And now she was going to spend the night. It just seemed really weird.

Annie glanced at Jeff out of the corner of her eye, seeing him do whatever he always does when he's on his phone. It pained her that they were both sitting here not saying a word to each other. Even though Jeff was a closed off kind of guy she used to be able to still talk to him. Maybe not about deep personal things, but they could still engage in conversation. But now they weren't even doing that.

It wasn't all his fault either. She had been so focused on herself this semester that she hadn't bothered to go as out of her way like she usually did. Maybe if she had made more of an effort things wouldn't be like this now.

Though if she was honest, she was still annoyed at Jeff for not showing as much interest in her as she wanted him to. This semester had been life changing for her, and she would have liked if he had been there for her more. But if anything he went more out of his way to not be involved in her life. That got under her skin, and made her resentful towards him. Though she felt bad for letting her anger get in the way of their friendship, since they didn't have much time together before they were out of Greendale.

"Is this show ok with you?" she asked him.

Jeff glanced up at the television. "I guess. I don't really watch _King of Queens_ much. _Seinfeld_'s after it. I'll watch that if I'm home."

Annie smiled as she heard that. "I love _Seinfeld_. Troy doesn't like it though. He thinks it's boring and nothing really happens. So I only watch it if he's not around. Who's your favorite character?"

Jeff thought about it for a second before answering. "Overall I always liked George's parents the best. Though Jerry's mom reminds me of my grandmother. Of the regulars probably George. What about you?"

"When I was younger Kramer was my favorite character. But now I probably like Elaine best." She looked at him tentatively out of the corner of her eye. "Do you like _Family Guy_? Because there's a three hour block on right after _Seinfeld_."

"Yeah, I like it."

Annie smiled as she settled back again the couch and relaxed. It also didn't escape her notion that soon Jeff put his phone down and actually focused on the shows.

They spent the evening watching first two episodes _Seinfeld_, and then three hours of _Family Guy_. As they watched TV the weather outside steadily got worse and worse. The rain fully turned to ice, and relentlessly pounded down on the outside world. Several times Annie flinched when she heard a particularly hard pop of an ice pellet hitting the window pane.

By the final _Family Guy_ episode the lights started flickering. Jeff got up and put the candles he had gathered at different places around the apartment. Then he lit a couple after the power went out and then came back on a couple seconds later. The electricity finally completely gave out just as _Conan_ was starting, leaving then in near total darkness.

Jeff picked up his phone, which he had plugged in to charge when the lights started flickering, and saw that it only had two bars of battery life in it. "Great. Power's out and my phone isn't fully charged."

"Maybe you should have charged it while we were watching TV."

"Thanks for telling me that now." He turned it off to conserve power before getting up and lighting the rest of the candles. "So now what to you want to do?"

Annie shrugged as she looked up at him, the pounding of ice all the more prevalent from their silence. "I don't know," she said as a yawn escaped her. "I'm kind of tired."

"Yeah. And there isn't much to do here without power. I guess we can just go to sleep and figure out what to do tomorrow morning."

"Okay. If I can just get some blankets and a pillow I'll-."

"What are you talking about? You're sleeping in my bed." He quickly amended his statement as he saw the look on Annie's face. "I mean you'll take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Jeff, it's your home. I'm not-."

"Annie, I'm not making you sleep on the couch. Also, Chang slept on there for months. I'm not subjecting you to that."

Annie cringed at that thought before reluctantly taking him up on his offer. "Okay. Do you have a spare toothbrush?"

"Aren't you a fussy houseguest." He smirked at her before heading to the bathroom and digging one out of the drawer. As she brushed her teeth and washed her face Jeff got a spare blanket and pillow and put it on the couch before changing into sweatpants. When he was done he opened his bedroom door and saw Annie in the kitchen getting a glass of water. He waited until she came over to him. "Okay. Need anything, we both know where I'll be."

Annie nodded before smiling at him. "Night Jeff."

"Night."


	2. Chapter 2

Jeff tossed and turned on the couch, desperately trying to get comfortable and failing miserably. His feet hung over the edge, and his overall frame was simply too big to easily lay there. Plus even though he'd had it steam cleaned, it still smelled faintly like Chang if he turned his face into the cushions (he really should have just chucked it and gotten a new one.)

It would have made more sense if Annie had slept on the couch, he thought. She would have at least fit comfortably on it. But even if it physically made sense that she sleep on the couch, he knew he couldn't have let her. He would have felt too guilty being in his bed while she was out in the living room.

Also, he reasoned, he probably wouldn't have slept great in his bed anyway. Not with the ice storm outside. The constant banging of ice pellets hitting the building was unsettling. Every time he closed his eyes he heard a loud bang. He wondered if this is what old people went through when kids threw rocks at their home.

After a particularly loud bang he shoved the sheets off and got up, deciding to distract himself by getting some ice water while there was still ice in the freezer. As he made his way towards the kitchen he thought he heard a yelp come from his room. He quietly walked over to his door and listened carefully. Just as he thought he had imagined things he heard a loud bang above him, followed by a frightful gasp.

Before he could tell himself to just leave her be, Jeff lightly knocked on his door. "Annie?"

"What? Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Jeff lit a candle before opening the door and walking into his bedroom. Annie was sitting up in his bed, her arms wrapped around a pillow. Jeff put the candle down on the dresser before going over to her. "Are you ok? I thought I heard you shrieking just now."

Annie looked up at Jeff, smiling a small guilty smile. "It's just…when I was living above Dildopolis I used to hear gunshots outside my window almost every night. So when I hear a loud bang outside from the storm, it just reminds me of that." Just then another loud bang was heard, causing Annie to involuntarily stiffen and gasp.

Jeff sat down on the edge of the bed as a feeling of nervousness flowed through him. Although she hadn't lived there for well over a year, it still made him uncomfortable to know she used to live somewhere where gun shots and stabbings were a regular occurrence. "Well, that just proves you shouldn't live in a place with gun shots."

"It was the only place I could afford back then," she said a bit defensively. While she was extremely glad to be out of her old apartment, she was still defensive about having lived there. Even if it had bars on the windows and several locks on the door, and she always walked from her car to her apartment with her hand on some pepper spray or her gun, it was her place. It was proof that she could make it on her own and support herself. It might not have been ideal, but it signified independence to her.

"I know. I'm just glad you're out of there. I worried a lot about you when I found out that's where you lived," Jeff said.

Annie relaxed her grip on the pillow as she looked at Jeff, trying to fight the warm feeling of admiration that was spreading through her and losing. "You know I'm not a kid, right? I can take care of myself," she said, somewhat playfully.

"Yeah. But we can still worry about those we care about, even if they're adults. You're…you mean a lot to me Annie."

While the ice pellets continued to pound the world outside, all Annie could focus on was Jeff's face in the candle light. Over the past few months she had forgotten just how seductive he could be when he gave just a bit of affection to you. As she looked at the open honesty he was unintentionally revealing to her, she felt more desirable then she could ever remember feeling. And for once she didn't want to just sit by and let the moment pass her by or be ruined. She wanted to take charge.

Before she could stop and think about the potential consequences of her actions, Annie threw the covers back and crawled over to Jeff, leaning in as their lips touched. For a moment he didn't move a muscle, and she was terrified he was just going to remain frozen until she stopped. But then he moved his hands up her body and cupped her face with one palm as his lips moved against hers. His other hand moved over her lower back, warming her already flushed self. She opened her mouth as his tongue entered her, sliding over hers as it explored her mouth. She circled her tongue around his as she ran the tip against the back of his teeth and the roof of his mouth.

Just as her hands started moving up his arms Jeff pulled back, doubt etched across his face. "Annie, maybe-"

"Don't," she said, her entire self practically pleading with him. "Please don't stop."

That was all Jeff needed to here. His resolve was already beyond cracking. With those simple words it was over for him. Without a word he kissed her with a far greater intensity then he had ever shown her before. His hands moved over her as he guided her onto her back. As he pulled back he took in the vision before her. Her hair was fanned out around her, and in the dim flickering light her skin seemed to almost glow. Even with clothes on she looked absolutely gorgeous.

"You're so beautiful."

Annie's already heightened arousal went up tenfold at those simple words. The fact that he said it to her when she was hidden in his gigantic clothes while looking into her eyes made her impossibly wet. She pushed herself up against the bed frame as she grabbed the helm of his shirt and frantically tugged it upward. She moved so fast that it got stuck on his head, causing them to both laugh as he pulled it off and flung it across the room.

She kissed him frantically as her hands explored his body, finally feeling his arms, chest and prized abs. As her hands explored his torso Jeff moved his hands down her body to her amble chest, gently palming her braless breasts through the thin cotton of her borrowed shirt. Annie gasped into his mouth, her nipples hardening to his exquisite touch. He ran his fingers down over her stomach and hips as he grabbed the end of her shirt and pulled it up over her. Annie pulled back from his lips as she shimmied out of the shirt, taking it from Jeff's hands and dropping it over the edge of the bed.

She sat back nervously, waiting to see Jeff's reaction to seeing her topless. She knew he had seen many a woman's breasts, and she was apprehensive as to how she's stack up. Though from the look on his face, and the bulge she could make out through his sweats, she guessed he liked what he saw. He resumed kissing her as she inched her body down until she was lying flat across the bed. As his fingers moved down her she was surprised that they bypassed her breasts entirely. Instead they moved across her hips to the waist band of her pajama pants. Instinctively she lifted her butt as Jeff untied the string and pulled them off her, leaving her fully nude before him.

He pulled back to take a moment to fully appreciate her in all her naked splendor before pulling his sweats off in one fluid motion, leaving himself fully naked also. Annie's eyes moved down to his penis, seeing it sticking straight out. Unlike the last time she had seen it, this time she felt no embarrassment at getting an eyeful of Jeff's impressive manhood.

Jeff briefly kissed her lips before moving down her body. Annie gasped and moaned as Jeff circled her nipples with his tongue, painstakingly teasing her before sucking on her nipples and pert flesh. He worked his mouth over both breasts before moving down south, kissing her stomach before reaching her slit. He tentatively licked around her clit, causing her to gasp even louder. Her hands moved over her breasts as Jeff sucked and flicked the small nub, awakening nerves that had rarely been simulated.

Her moans became deeper as Jeff brought a hand down and moved his fingers inside of her, curling them in a come hither motion while steadily running his tongue over her. Annie's body shook as delicious tension built within her. Sensing she was close, Jeff worked his tongue and fingers even faster.

Suddenly, without warning, her orgasm hit her like a volcano. Her eyes squeezed shut as a silent scream escaped her. She arched her back and ground her fingers into the mattress as Jeff worked his mouth over her, drinking up every drop of her release.

As she slowly regained focus she felt Jeff licking the last of her juices from her inner thighs, giggling as his tongue tickled her. She was barely aware of Jeff pulling away from her and reaching into the dresser drawer. Her eyes opened as she heard the sound of something ripping. She looked up and saw Jeff throw a condom wrapper aside and roll it on his erection. She wiggled against the mattress as Jeff leaned over her and positioned the tip at her core.

"You ready?" he asked her. Annie smiled at his concern as she gripped the back of his head and kissed him. With a single stroke Jeff filled her slick opening, causing a loud moan to escape both of them. He paused as Annie wiggled her hips to adjust to having him inside of her. Once she was used to him Annie moved her pelvis upward, gripping his shaft tightly within her.

Jeff's eyes widened as she squeezed him with her contractions. Fearing he would come if she kept that up he kissed her deeply, causing her to relax her grip on him. He began to move within her, pulling out almost all the way before filling her fully. He stroked her hair with one hand while kneading her breasts with the other.

As he moved within her Annie felt the same warm pressure build inside of her. She wrapped her legs around Jeff's waist as her hands gripped his broad shoulders, pulling him even deeper into her as she nibbled his lips with her teeth. Sensing her approaching orgasm Jeff increased his speed until she was pushed over the edge. As he pulled back and saw her face come undone he couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes shut tightly and he gasped as he filled the condom with several powerful thrusts.

He fell back against her, resting his head against her breasts like they were pillows. As she started to moan from having his giant frame pressed against her Jeff rolled off of her, rolling the condom off and throwing it in the nearby trash can. He laid back down next to Annie and pulled the blankets over them. She drowsily snuggled against him as they both fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Annie opened her eyes and looked over at the still lit candle on top of the dresser. It was still dark outside. And while there was no working clock to tell her what time it was, somehow she guessed she hadn't been sleeping for very long.

She glanced over at Jeff, seeing that he was sound asleep, before turning around and looking off into the distance. She used to imagine how she would feel after having sex with Jeff, and truthfully it wasn't like this. It wasn't the sex itself that made her feel off. That had been great, the best she had ever had. Not that she'd had a ton of reference to work from. Counting Jeff she had only had sex six times so far. First there was the disastrous time she lost her virginity to her high school boyfriend. Then she had slept with Vaughn three times during her relationship with the song writing hippie. And then there was the one night stand she had with a guy she met at a concert over the past summer. And while each other time had been good (with the obvious exception of her first time), having sex with Jeff was the first time she could finally understand why people made such a big deal out of it.

And yet once it was over, she felt unfulfilled instead of satisfied, like something was missing. It was similar to how she felt after the one night stand, only on a deeper and sadder level. She didn't understand it. She had felt such affection towards Jeff just before she kissed him tonight. In spite of all the issues that lay between them, there was something about that moment that made a part of her think they could just push past it all. But now that they had sex, it just seemed like the distance between them was even greater than ever. She almost wanted to cry at the feeling of loneliness and heartache that was overtaking her.

Desperate to distract herself and forget about her feelings she slipped on the t-shirt Jeff had given her and got out of bed. She took the candle from the dresser and got her textbooks from the bathroom before going to the couch in the living room. Luckily her books weren't too damaged from the rain. The edges of the pages were a bit wrinkled, but she could still read them easily. Annie smiled as she opened her journalism ethics book, feeling a sense of true satisfaction that she finally realized was missing in her life.

While it had been subconsciously brewing for a while, this realization really all began after their expulsion ended and they began summer school. After being away from her healthcare classes for three months, Annie expected to be giddy to be taking them again. But once they started she found she didn't like them that much anymore. And after doing some deep soul searching she began to realize she wasn't that crazy about working in health care management or the health care field in general. While it was a noble profession that would secure her a comfortable lifestyle, it wasn't something that made her particularly happy. The truth was it was always something her mom had planned out for her, and Annie just went along with it because it was easier than going off book and doing something else.

After finally realizing that health care wasn't for her, she spent a long time trying to figure out what career path she should choose. She thought about what she could do that helped people, and what she would like to do. She considered going into teaching when the idea of journalism came to her. Though she had stopped writing for the Greendale paper after her sophomore year to focus on her education, she couldn't ignore how much she had loved being on the paper. Investigative reporting and breaking a story had given her a real sense of pride and accomplishment. Despite how crazy it seemed, that was the career path for her. Even if it meant she would have to spend at least another year at Greendale, it was worth it to finally know she would be happy with her life.

Ironically, Jeff had been the one who had started her on this path. Before he was made editor she simply spent an hour a week editing the crossword puzzles. He had made her an actual journalist, and if he hadn't done that she never would have discovered how much she loved reporting. In an ideal world she would have been able to go to him for advice on this monumental life decision. But sadly, she had been unable to do that. She came close the night she almost flashed him, but in the end he made her realize it would have been futile to bring the subject up with him, and instead it became just another example of how they kept drifting away from each other. The fact that he had barely acknowledged her when she finally told the group she was switching her major to journalism even further proved this. As much as she hated to think this, maybe Jeff was just too emotionally unavailable for her to sustain any kind of relationship with him, friendship or otherwise.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff felt himself drift back into consciousness and reluctantly opened his eyes. It took him a few moments for the haze to clear from his mind before he was suddenly wide awake as he remembered exactly what had happened before he fell asleep. He and Annie had had sex. After over three years of knowing her, of the back and forth and all of his denying the attraction between them, it had finally happened.

He looked over, fully expecting to see her sound asleep next to him. But he was the only one in his bed. That's a first, he thought. The only other time _he_ had been the one to wake up alone after sex was when he was sleeping with Britta. But with Britta he hadn't really cared if she was next to him or not when he woke up. Annie not being next to him afterwards filled him with a strange, unaccustomed feeling of loneliness.

He wondered if she had actually tried going home in this storm, when he noticed the flickering candlelight outside his door. He threw on his sweat pants and went outside into the living room. Annie was curled on his couch reading a book, wearing _just _her borrowed t-shirt. He tried not to notice how much of her bare legs were revealed as he cleared his throat. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope," she said without looking up from her book.

He was about to say something about what had happened earlier when he noticed the titles of her textbooks: _Prose in_ _Journalism, Keeping Ethics in Journalism, _and _Old School Reporting in the Digital Age. _"How come you've got so many journalism books? I thought you were going into health care?"

Annie slowly brought her head up as she stared at Jeff in disbelief. "What?" she questioned in a low, cold voice.

"I'm just saying it seems-."

"What?" she repeated, her voice becoming higher and angrier.

Jeff frowned in confusion as he saw her becoming angrier by the second. "Annie, why are you-."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" she practically roared. "Is this actually happening right now?"

"Annie, what the hell is going-."

"I TOLD you over a month ago that I was switching my major from health care management to journalism. I came into the study room and told everyone I had a major announcement and was switching majors. You really don't remember that?"

Jeff searched his mind as he desperately tried to recall Annie telling him something so major. But he couldn't remember ever hearing her say it. "Annie, I'm sorry. But I don't-."

"Of course you don't," she shrilly said. "You never remember or pay attention to anything that's not related to you. What, you can't tear your eyes away from a riveting game of Angry Birds to listen to anyone?"

"Hey, I listen to you guys."

Annie shook her head as sadness mixed in with her anger. "You're right, you do listen to us. You just don't listen to me."

"Annie-."

She took a shaky breath as she forced herself to finally face something she had grown to suspect for a while. "It just seems…"

"What?" Jeff asked as he sat down next to her.

"In the last three years you've grown and changed a lot, and you've grown closer to everyone else in the group. But when it comes to us, it seems like we were so much closer during our first year at Greendale than we are now."

"Annie, that's not true at all. I treated everyone like shit our first year."

"Then what would you call how you treated me our second year? A diarrhea monsoon? And what about when we danced on Halloween at the Dia de los Muertos party? That only happened during our first year. Or the fact that I took Pottery, even though it was just a blow off class? You're the only one who could have talked me into doing that. I mean, our first year I thought you were…"

"What?"

"I thought you were my best friend."

As soon as he heard that Jeff let out an involuntary laugh. Instantly he regretted it when Annie's face collapsed in hurt anger. "I'm sorry. But, come on? Your best friend? That's really stretching things."

"Yes Jeff," she said. "There was a time I thought of you as my best friend. I mean, you were the only one I was going to tell in person that I was transferring to Delaware. Everyone else I was prepared to call or e-mail to tell them I wouldn't be coming back, but I couldn't leave without telling you. What does that say about our relationship back then? Or what about the fact that you helped me realize that being a journalist was what I wanted to do? If you never made me a reporter I would have spent my life working in a hospital hating what I was doing. Because of what you did back then you made me realize my career."

"Annie, you're reading way too much into this. I just made you a reporter so you'd be out of my office so I could goof off."

Instantly Jeff realized he had said the wrong thing. Annie's eyes grew wide in shock as her face and voice became even angrier. "Of course you would say that! Because I'm _always_ reading too much into things! You said so yourself when we found all that stuff Annie's Boobs stole, so it _must_ be true!"

"Annie, have you ever stopped to think that I said that because it _was _true!" Jeff exclaimed as anger made its way into his voice. "Not everything between us has some deep hidden meaning. Sometimes when I say stuff to you, it's meant to be taken at face value!"

"Then what should I make about you always getting mad whenever I've shown an interest in any guy that isn't you."

"I haven't…" Jeff took a breath before continuing. "It hasn't been every guy."

"OH, COME ON!" Annie said in her most sarcastic voice. "First you did everything you could to keep Vaughn away from me."

"So I thought you could do better than a crunchy, non-bathing hippie. And I think you forget that I tried to keep him from you by getting you and Troy together."

"And I seem to recall Troy saying you were very descriptive when describing me to him," Annie countered with. "What does that say?"

"That I'm good at describing women to people," Jeff said to try and defuse some of the anger in the room. "And if you want to _recall_ how that whole incident went down, the only real reason I tried to get Troy to go out with you instead of Vaughn was because Britta warped me into thinking that was better. I mean, if you dated Troy-." He quickly shut his mouth and quit talking, even though Annie picked up on what he said.

"SEE, you're doing it again! You can't stand the notion of me being with anyone but you."

"That's not what I meant!" he yelled back. "I meant you being with either of them would be a disaster."

"Why!"

"It's THEM!" Jeff yelled. "It just would…at least nothing ever did happen with either of them."

"I wouldn't say nothing ever…" Annie said softly.

"What?" Jeff asked.

Annie glanced down at the ground before looking Jeff in the eyes. "If you have to know, Abed and I made out once."

"WHAT?"

"It was during paintball our second year. He was pretending to be Han Solo and had me as Leia and it just happened. And BEFORE you say anything," she yelled at seeing the look on Jeff's face. "You have no right to be judgmental of any with it. You don't own me or have ever made any kind of commitment to me, so there's no reason why I should feel guilty if someone other than you shows an interest in me. It doesn't matter if it's Vaughn, or Abed, or Rich. Which by the way, I can lecture you on that whole subject for an _hour_ if you'd like."

"OKAY, I'm _not_ even going to mention Rich because still I'm in shock. You and _Abed_!"

"Yes_, _Abed. What's wrong with Abed?"

"It's Abed. He's strange and robot like and-."

"And he once showed an interest in me. So what! It was just a onetime thing," she said before inwardly cringing at the thought that she was essentially trying to explain herself when she had no reason to. "Jeff, if you refuse to do anything, then why should I not do something when someone else is interested in me? Because that's not fair."

"I'm still trying to work out how to go about things with you," Jeff tried to explain.

"Then work it out all ready! You've had plenty of time! Three years' worth!"

"What about what just happened between us tonight! That's a pretty big something."

"If you think that's enough to completely change everything between us, you're sadly mistaken. It was great sex, but I still don't feel closer to you because of it. Maybe if you had made a move and _actually followed through_ it would have. But now I just see it as an empty gesture."

"Empty gesture?" Jeff yelled. "That's what you think that was?"

"What would you call it when you make a move after keeping someone at arms' length for well over two years?"

"First of all, _you_ kissed _me _tonight! This whole thing started because of you! And I kept you away because I didn't know what to do about us. It's you and me; there are many things wrong with us being together: the group, our age difference, the fact that we're such different people….it's complicated."

"And _where have I heard that before!_ Do you ever have anything else to say?"

"All right! Here's something new: why did you ignore me this semester?"

"What?" she asked, flabbergasted by the sudden change in conversation.

"This whole semester you haven't been on my case or done any of the other stuff we used to do together. I'm asking what happened."

"You're actually mad that I haven't been focusing entirely on you? That I've focused on myself instead of the almighty Jeff? I have my own life and I'm finally focusing on it."

"Annie, I'm glad you're finding yourself, but that doesn't mean I should just be cut out of your life."

"THEN DO SOMETHING, JEFF!" she screamed as she got to her feet. "Don't just keep me dangling and off limits. Though, at this point, I don't think there's any way to prove you're not just going to toss me aside and ignore me like you always do because you're scared of what-."

Her words were silenced as Jeff lunged forward and crashed his lips against hers, bruising them as he kissed her with a furious intensity. He groaned in pain as she bit his lips, taking a step back as he licked them tentatively. With a yell Annie charged at Jeff, using a tackle and a leg sweep to knock him to the ground. She dropped right on his lap, causing his yell to morph into a groan as she ground her core against his groin, feeling his erection grow harder by the second. He gripped her hips roughly as he sat up and resumed kissing her. They fiercely fought for dominance over their kisses, bruising their lips and tongues with their bites and nibbles. Annie pushed Jeff onto his back and violently dropped onto his body, her nails raking his cheek as her fingers roughly rubbed against his face.

"OW!" he yelled.

As she watched Jeff grab his cheek she found she didn't care that she had hurt him. For once she was glad she caused him pain after everything he had done to her. He glared at her as he tightly grabbed her arms and pushed her onto her back. He roughly squeezed and pinched her breasts through her shirt as he yanked his pants off. He jerked the hem of her shirt up before filling her with a single hard stroke. Annie gasped as Jeff fucked her, hitting every spot of arousal inside of her. She raked her nails down his back, enjoying the groans of pain that escaped him as she left deep fingernail gashes on his precious body.

She suddenly felt Jeff pull out of her completely, before she was unexpectedly rolled onto her stomach. As she pushed herself onto her hands and knees she moaned as Jeff entered her from behind, moving within her with powerful, almost animal-like thrusts. She growled as she met each of his thrusts with a powerful thrust of her own, their skin slapping so hard together it stung. Annie's fingers gripped the carpet as she was moved against it, feeling the skin on her palms and knees tear from the continued friction. But she didn't care. All she cared about was finally getting rid of all the anger and frustration that lay between them. She couldn't talk it away, so she'd settle for fucking it away.

Jeff moaned deeply as her wet warm walls grew even hotter and he felt her come hard underneath him. Her howling like screams became lost in his own yells as he filled her completely, pounding into her as he came with a ferocious intensity. After several seconds he finally felt himself drain completely. He groaned as he pulled out of her, feeling every muscle in his body sag in exhaustion.

Annie moaned as she fell to her stomach, feeling their mixed fluids drip out of her and run down her thighs. She didn't have the strength to move an inch, let alone clean herself up. Jeff collapsed next to her, trying to catch his breath. Almost simultaneously, they passed out together, feeling exhausted but also sated in some weird way.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As Jeff opened his eyes, he wondered why he woke up on the floor and why he felt so sore. After a couple moments, it all came rushing back to him. The yelling and fighting and the most intense sex he had ever had. He gingerly got up and put his pants back on, feeling his back sting every time he moved. As he rubbed his eyes he hissed when he touched his face. _What's wrong with my face_, he wondered.

He heard the water in the bathroom sink run, followed by the door opening and Annie walking out into the living room, again wearing only his borrowed shirt. His eyes ran down her body and stopped at her legs. Her knees were covered in Band-Aids, and he could see rug burn sores around the skin that wasn't bandaged.

"You're legs are a mess, Annie."

"So is your face."

Jeff quickly went onto the bathroom, gasping in shock when he was three scratch marks on his left cheek. "Son of a bitch."

"Sorry," she said softly.

He sighed deeply as he stepped out into the bathroom. "Least it's not a black eye or a broken nose. That would have been grounds for a lawsuit."

Annie sat down on the couch, where Jeff walked over and joined her. "Jeff, what happens now?"

"You're asking me?"

"Look, last night I got out whatever anger I still had towards you. Now we need to figure out where we go from here."

Jeff sighed as he gingerly felt his face before turning towards her. "This all happened because I couldn't be honest with you, so I'll be honest. After last night, we can't go back to what we had before. The half friendship and half…it just isn't working. The way I see it is we have two choices. The first choice is we cut ourselves out of each other's lives and only see each other when we have to because of the group. Then after graduation, we go our separate ways."

Annie nodded her head sadly as she contemplated what she just heard. "What's the second choice?"

"The second choice is to stop denying this thing between us. Know that it isn't going away, and do something about it. No matter what issues it might cause or how many reasons we have for it not to work out…" He paused for several moments before unexpectedly saying "I can't not have you in my life, Annie."

"What?" she said in shock.

"I know I've treated you terribly, and that I probably don't deserve you, but I'm sick of driving you away from me. I've tried keeping you away, but we both know I've never been able to fully let you go. I don't know which of those options you want, but there's no way I can stand not having you around." With that, Jeff laid down on the couch, feeling physically and emotionally drained.

Annie looked down at him, knowing it would be easier if she was mad or resentful after everything, but she wasn't. Thought it would be easier if she stayed away, in a bizarre way it somehow all made sense. They had to fight their way there, but somehow they had both finally gotten on the same page. It's darkest before the dawn, and as impossible as it seemed, the dawn might just have arrived.

Jeff readjusted himself as Annie lay down next to him, pulling her against his body. They laid there in each other's arms, feeling content in the easy silence they shared. While they couldn't see into the future, somehow they were hopeful it would involve being in each other's lives.


End file.
